Work & commute · Ashland

Work & commute in Ashland, MI

Most working residents leave Ashland for work: only 1% work in town. The top destinations are Grand Rapids (12%), Newaygo (6%) and Fremont (6%). Half commute less than 24 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2021 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

15 of 1,145 working residents

Typical commute

24 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

30 min

One way, from the Census survey

Work from home

of workers, from the Census survey

Coming and going

Who leaves, who stays, who comes in

On a workday 1,130 Ashland residents head out of town to work, 15 work right here, and 180 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Ashland.

1,130live here, work elsewhere

15live and work here

180work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Ashland goes to work

Grand Rapids27.9 mi away

12%140

Newaygo6.2 mi away

6%70

Fremont10 mi away

6%63

Grant2.4 mi away

4%46

Walker24.1 mi away

4%46

Kentwood34 mi away

3%40

Muskegon21.6 mi away

3%37

Wyoming31.8 mi away

3%33

Sparta13.8 mi away

3%30

Casnovia6.7 mi away

2%25

Everywhere elseother towns and states

54%615

Lines run between town centers; a thicker line means more commuters. The top 10 towns each way.

How far

How far Ashland commutes

Straight-line distance from home to work, for every working resident. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.

22%

31%

30%

16%

22%Under 10 mi

31%10–24 mi

30%25–50 mi

16%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Ashland is a commuter town

0.17jobs per working resident

A commuter town

0.17 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.

The jobs

What the jobs in Ashland are

195 jobs are based in Ashland. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Ashland’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Ashland

195 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)66%

Trade, transport & utilities17%

Services (health, schools, offices…)16%

$1,250 a month or less22%

$1,251–$3,333 a month29%

Over $3,333 a month50%

Jobs Ashland residents hold

1,145 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)36%

Trade, transport & utilities19%

Services (health, schools, offices…)44%

$1,250 a month or less17%

$1,251–$3,333 a month31%

Over $3,333 a month52%

+19%

Jobs based in Ashland, 2011 → 2021: 164 → 195. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.

About these numbers

How to read this page

Every worker, home to workThe Census links each worker’s home block to their main job’s block, for jobs covered by unemployment insurance. That’s most jobs, but not the self-employed.

Where the employer saysA job counts where the employer reports it. Some big employers report one address for many sites, which can make a few commutes look longer than they are.

Two surveysFlows, distances and jobs: LEHD 2021. Commute time and working from home: the Census American Community Survey.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2021, primary jobs; American Community Survey 5-year estimates.